Trouble in the Media

It’s not a secret that social media and media outlets in general tend to exaggerate the truth when it comes to the news, especially when that news involves politics or issues that everyone deals with practically every day. The media has the ability to take a two second clip from a two-hour video and morph it into something completely different than what it originally was. When an incident occurs, the media does get a lot of information from many people, but it doesn’t always get the key facts about what happened or what led up to it. They also sometimes lack in vital information needed to tell the truth about an incident. Many people rely on the media for their daily news, but does the media sometimes change up the facts or the “truth”?

“The short answer is yes. The long answer is that human beings are prone to what’s known as confirmation bias. Confirmation bias occurs when people interpret and spread information that aligns with their beliefs,” Christopher Harper, a journalist from MakeTechEasier, said.

The media often exaggerates the truth by not always telling the full story. Usually a lot of information is barely mentioned or is held back completely when a story is being told. This makes it hard for the audience or readers to completely understand what happened, causing confusion and more conflict. When people don’t know all of a story they start assuming and jumping to conclusions, which in the long run does more harm than good. This is especially harmful to people involved in what’s covered by the news outlets. A person’s information can be leaked after a story comes out that isn’t true. This causes trouble in that individual’s life due to the leaked information.

“[Clickbait] is a well-known form of fake news, but people still fall for it every day,” Herbert Lopez, an 11th grader at Deer Park High School, said.

The media also doesn’t always get everyone’s side of the story. A lot of the time, during or after a situation, only a few people will get interviewed or quoted about a situation. This doesn’t allow the audience to get a full story of what exactly happened. It limits the amount of correct information while also causing a lot of information to never be shared. This can also cause other media outlets to not get enough information, causing a writer to take a story or article in a direction it shouldn’t be taken. By taking this action, the media is causing much more harm to everyone and anyone that may need certain information.

“Because a lot of news outlets change up stories and facts, we can’t always be certain that what we’re reading is the complete truth,” Benancio Los Santos, a 10th grader at Deer Park High School said.

It’s been a known fact for years that the media isn’t exactly perfect at what it does. Things can get twisted, confused, lost, and even some things can be found. Information is a vital part of any news, so it being misleading can cause a lot of trouble. The media is a part of most people’s lives, it’s how people know what’s going on in the world. With that said, next time you read a news article you might want to check its sources.